Clinical characteristics analysis of COVID-19 patients from the first significant community outbreak by SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 in Taiwan as experienced from a single northern medical center

Background/Purpose: Clinical characteristics of patients in the first community outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona -virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant B.1.1.7 in Taiwan have not been characterized.Methods: SARS-CoV-2 positive specimens from inpatients between May 7 and June 15 in 2021were screen for SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage by VirSNiP assay. Clinical characteristics were reviewed and compared with those from Feb 1 to April 30, 2020 and from Jan 1 to March 31, 2022.Results: One hundred forty-one inpatients from May 7 to June 15, 2021 infected with SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage were included. The major presenting symptoms were fever (88.7%) and cough (59.6%). Incidence of relevant complications including pulmonary embolism, simultaneous infec-tions with bacteria, virus, and fungi were 0.7%, 12.8%, 13.5%, and 2.1%, respectively. Old age, high Charlson comorbidity index, short of breath, and initial critical illness were independently associated with 28-day mortality (all p < 0.05). In comparison to COVID-19 inpatients from Feb 1 to April 30, 2020, patients from the outbreak by SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage were older, more se-vere in disease condition, higher mortality but less obvious initial presenting symptoms. After im-plementation of nationwide vaccination campaign in the next half year of 2021, COVID-1 9 inpatients from Jan 1 to March 31 in 2022 indicated less severe diseases than those infected with SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage. Conclusion: COVID-19 inpatients by SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 with old age, multiple comorbid-ities, and more severe disease conditions were associated with increased mortality. Vaccination for this vulnerable populations may be helpful.Copyright (c) 2022, Taiwan Society of Microbiology. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).